A father punched two teenagers during a children's football match.

The referee eventually had to call off the boys' under 16s match after he was threatened by mothers in the crowd, a player was bitten until he bled and Ian Scobie attacked rival youngsters.

The match between Blairgowrie and Monifieth was brought to an early end after spiralling out of control during a series of violent clashes involving fans and players.

Scobie, 44, who was watching his son play for Monifieth, punched two Blairgowrie teenagers who were watching the match in the Perthshire town's Davie Park on August 30 last year.

Sheriff Fiona Tait fined Scobie £1500 and said: "You appear as a first offender but clearly your conduct, involving assault on children - albeit near adulthood - was altogether unacceptable."

Scobie, of Haddington Gardens, Dundee, was found guilty of two charges of assault by punching a 15 and a 16-year-old boy.

The 16-year-old told Perth Sheriff Court: "He grabbed me by the throat and punched me. My nose was swollen."

The other boy, who was 15, said: "I stepped in his way and he swung for me. It was a punch. He didn't properly connect. I knew it was a punch because I saw his fist. He fled. He ran back to the car park."

Blairgowrie mother Gayle Tolmie, 39, said: "I heard a commotion to my left and turned around to see one of the young boys watching the game being assaulted, punched in the face.

"He was maybe 16 at the time. This gent punched him in the face and he fell to the ground. I told him he was just a child and that shouldn't be happening. It was just a football game."

Defence solicitor Kevin Hampton said: "This man doesn't dispute he slaps the boys - because these boys were about to slap him.

"They were saying things about people getting stabbed after the game and making reference to Dundee minks. It's suggested these boys were causing bother.

"The referee in his match report says he was threatened by female supporters of the Blairgowrie team."

Mr Hampton said the referee's match report also recorded an incident involving one player biting another in the hand until he bled.

The court heard the Blairgowrie goalkeeper punched an opposition player as well.

In an interview with police, Scobie said: "The boys were antagonising my son on the football pitch, which they had nothing to do with.

"The lads were so brazen, it was incredible. One of the boys brought his arm up to throw a punch and I slapped him.

"The other boy came from the side and I pushed him and he fell to the ground. I went away home after that. I was aware I had done wrong."

His wife Fiona said: "The game had been fine up to the point where a player in our team was bitten by a player in the other team and things started to go downhill from there."

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